Folding davenport or couch.



MAURICE TAUBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING DAVENPORT OR COUCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Application filed January 20, 1.915. 1 Serial N 0. 3,193.

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that I, MAURICE TAUBER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county-of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Davenports or Couches, of which the following is a specification.

One of the objects of this invention is to.

produce an improved folding davenport or couch in which the moving parts'are so balanced that the force required to fold and unfold the same is reduced toa minimum.

Another object is to produce a davenport wherein the back section is mounted for movement up and down, and in which the bed-forming elements, when set up for use, occupy the space directly beneath or behind the normal position of said back, whereby the bed projects out a minimum distance from the wall behind the davenport.

A' further object is to provide a novel and improved mounting for the back section and means for operat' g the same by movement of the seat section.

The invention also davenport or couch in mension of the unfolded bed extends transversely to the davenport or couch, and further objects of the invention are to minimize, in a couch of this character, the' nu m'- ber of folding movements necessary for the operator to make in. folding-or setting up refers to a folding 'the bed, to obviate the necessity for looks for holding the parts together, to providein effect a two-section. bed, and generally to simplify and improve the construction and action of the arts.

. Further-1 obj cts and improved features of construction will be morefully pointed out inthe following detailed description. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through one end of a davenport embodying the features.

the view illustrating the of my invention, position of thepartswhen-unfolded or set up ready for use as'a bed. Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan view withparts in section illustrating the structure in the same position as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view-similar to Fig. 1, but with the parts in their folded position. Fig.- 4 is a fragmental vertical section in the plane of line 44. of Fig. 1'. Fig. 5 is a fragmental side elevation illustrating the outermost bed-forming section v in folded position. Fig. 6 isa fragmental which the long di-' which horizontal section through one end of the davenport with. the seat section in a partially folded or upright position.

The preferred embodiment of the invention will be herein described in detail, without any intention, however, of limiting the PatentedFeb. 20, 1917.

invention to the form disclosed, except as ends ofan inner rectangular frame 12 which carries the bed forming structure. The two end frames 10 may also be connected at their rear ends by one or more bars 13.

The seat section 14 of the davenport is hinged at 15 near its forward edge to the forward side of the innerframe 12 by means of two pairs of hinge members 16 fixed to adjacent ends of the seat and the inner frame respectively. When in normal posi tion the seat restson the inner frame.

The back section 17 of mounted for movement bodily up and-down with relation to the end frames 10 and in i the present instance the back section has seitsupper end a board 18 which is to overlie the ends of upgwardly end frames 10' cured to arranged projecting portions of the when the backsection is in its lowered pos'ition. In; the drawings, only the frames of 19. 20 indicates a strap fixed to the "the operator for operating the seat. The

back section is guided in its movement up and down by means at each end thereof comprises an inwardly stud 21 fixed on'the end frame strap 22 fixed on the rear side of the back section and providing a guideway inwhich the stud'21 travels,

confined between the of the back section.

The back section, the] seat section, and the said stud being closely strap and the rear face projecting 10 and a the davenport is the seat and backsections areshown, the

upholstery beingindicated by the dotted lines seat section and'adapted'to be grasped by bed-forming elements are all connected to- 1 gether in such amanner that'the bed structure and the back section are-operated by swinging movement of the seat section. The elements of the bed structure and the 006perating connecting elements are duplicated atopposite sides .of the bed, and for the sake of clearness the'following' description will refer 'to the parts atonly one side of the bed or atone end of the davenport.

The bed-forming elements proper com- -site sides of the bed'being connected at 36 to the central bracket 37, which may bar, is rigidly fixed in the corner 'of the seat prise a relatively long outer section 23, a.

relatively long middle or central section 24, a short section pivotally connecting sald outer and central sections, and a relatively short inner section 26 pivoted directly to the central section. .These parts at opposite sides of the bedare connectedby suitable end bars 27, one or more intermediate bowed braces 28, and suitable spring material 29, as shown in Fig. 2.

The outer section 23 has a supportingleg 3O pivoted at 31 thereto, thetwo legs at olppoa brace'32. A link 33 is connected at one 2ndto the leg above its pivot 31, the other end of-the link being pivoted atv 34 to the short section 25.

1 A bracket 35 rigidly fixedto the seat section 14 has its free end pivotally connected section .24. Another be formed of an angle section '14, the free end of said bar being arranged 'to abut a ainst'th'e central section bracket 37 is cut notched end 38 of .when the bed is unfoldedto support the bed structure; The free end of the bar or 4 away or notched at'38, as 'shown'in Figs. 5 and 6. .A locking arm 39 is pivoted at one end to the central section 24 and has ajnotch 40 to engage with the the bracket 37',"the free end of saidarm being connected by a link davenport, the

a slot 49 in said bracket to provide a small I amount of lost motion. -A bell-crank lever bell-crank link 52 'With the 50 pivoted at 51 in has its longer' arm pivoted to the bracket 47 by the pin 48, and the shorter arm of the is connected by'a long horizontal bracket 37 fixed 'inthe corner of-the seatsection.

- frontjboard and A movable front board 53 is designed to .fill the space beneath the forward edge of said board the seat when in folded position, having at each endabracket 54 which is pivotally' connected to the adjacent end of the inner frame 12 by apa1r ofparallel links 55,. When the seat section 14 is unfolded,

thefront board 53 is supported only by the links 55 and then swingsby gravity into the position shown in Fig.

the rear side of the corners thereof engage it forwardly and upswing .wardly and maintain the board in operative position close beneath the forward edge of the, seat section. The corners of'the board of which the davenport,

noted, occupy a position bracket'47 fixed on the stationary bracket 45 In the tow movement of the seat, the brackets 37 in the are notched, as indicated at 56 in Fig. 6, to

accommodate the hinge members 16 for the .seat section. -Theupper edge of the board atthe points where it is engaged by the brackets 37 may bebeveled as at 57 In operation, assuming the davenport to be in its normal or folded position, as shown in Fig. 3, the-operator graspsthe strap 20- the seat section upwardly and In the initial movement-of the the back section 17 will be unthat the force required to lift and swings forwardly. seat section, afiected. so

the seat section is'resisted only by the weight of the seat section and a portion of the bed structure attached thereto. Such force is not great at the outset and diminishes rapidly as the seat section moves toward a vertical position. After the seat section passes through ate movement, the force required for the remaining movement is almost nothing. As

the seat section passes the vertical position, the weight thereof will be counterbalanced by the weight of the bed structure and of the back section of the davenport which is now being raised by the bell-crank 50, the parts being so'balancfed that the seat section may be swung in'either .direction with very slight effort. 7

The movement of the seat will act, through the medium of the link 52 and bellcrank lever 50, to impart to the back section 17 an upward arcuate movement, at the end lower edge of the back section will lie close to the extreme rear face of the so as to be well out of the way. bed-forming elements, it will be directly beneath and behind the normal position of the back and thus utilize space which in prior davenports has been wasted. The result of this is that the bed structure as a whole projects a The inner 'a fourth or thereabout'of its arcu-' minimum distance from the wall behind the davenport, and occupies less space in the- In addition tofswinging the seat section,

,most bed-section 23 from approximately the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 1. In this movement the leg 30 is au- 1 tomatically swung into supporting position, and the arm 39 is moved downwardly by the link 41to engage the notch 40 in the arm with the upper endof the" bracket 37 on the 'seat, upon the'upper end of which the central section 24 rests. This forms a secure lock vwhich prevents collapse of the bed while the outermost section 23 is down. The inner end of the central section 24 is supported by the arm 42 and links 44, while the innermostshort section 26'is supported by the link 46from the bell-crank 51. The

bed is thus supported at five points at each side thereof and actual tests have demonend frames 10 by the latter 'free.

strated that the bed will support the weight of a man in standing position on any part thereof without sagging.

The davenport herein disclosed is of the type in which the long dimension of the unfolded bed extends transversely to the davenport, although my invention is not limited to davenports of this type. In some of the davenports of this character which have been heretofore produced, the outer bed section was folded over section and the two were then folded again in the same direction onto a third section, or the like. This arrangement is objectionable, because in the second folding movement the outer most bed section drops down and interferes withthe folding. I obviate this difficultyby arranging the'bed structure to fold with only a single movement of the outermost section, the latter lying ontop of the central section when collapsed beneath the seat, and the. short inner section occupying an upright position. Thus the bed is virtually a two-section bed, that is'to say, I

there are only two main or long sections, the others being relatively quite short sections. either folding or unfolding the bed.

It will be noted that all of the moving parts of the davenport, with the exception .of the back section 17, are mounted solely upon the inner frame 12. This constitutes a unit which is the bolts 11. By removing the pivot pin 48 which connects the link 46 and bell-crank lever 50 to the bracket 47 on the back section, the latter may be disconnected from the mentioned unit, and when the end frames are removed the studs 21: thereon are withdrawn from the guide straps 22 on the-back section, which leaves These' diflerent frame-parts may then be separately crated, if desired, which makes them more convenient to handle and also renders possible a cheaper freight rate thereon. K I claim as my'inventionz' I v 1. A folding davenport having, in combination,'a support, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto, bed-forming structure comprising an outer section, a central section connected to the outer section, and a short inner section connected at one end to the central section and having a link connection with the lower end of the back, a'pairfof brackets fixed on the seat and pivotedto the central section, another pair of brackets fixed on the seatand arranged to have the central section rest thereon, supporting legs for the outer section, connecting the inner portion of the central section to the support.

2. A foldingdavenport having, in combination,

on the adjacent bed There are only two movements inremovably secured to the J a back, a collapsible.

and means suitably nation,

a pivoted seat, a back mounted for 3. A, folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a hinged seat,

a collapsible bed-forming structure connected to said seat for operation thereby, and a back independently connected to the seat for approximately vertical movement by the seat out of the way of said bed-forming structure.

4. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a seathinged near its forward edge to said frame, a back .slidably connected to said frame, a pair of levers pivoted inthe frame and connected to the lower-end of said back, and a'pair of links connecting said levers to said seat, whereby the swinging movement of the latter will raise and lower said back.v

5. 'A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a seat hinged at its forward edge to said frame, a back, "the upper portion of which is slidably connected to said frame, a pair of bell-crank levers pivoted in the frame and having their longer arms pivoted to the lower end of said back, and a pair ofhorizontal links connecting the shorter arms of the bell-cranks to said seat. 1 i

6. A folding davenport having, in combination, a support, a seat hinged to the support, a bed-forming structure comprismg a plurality of foldably connected sections, a pair of brackets fixed to the seat and pivoted to one of said sections, and arm pivoted to said section, a link connecting said arm to an adjacent section, and a bracket on the seat to support said arm when the bed-forming structure is unfolded.

7 A folding davenport having, incombia "nation, a supporting frame,

a seat hinged near its forward edge to said frame, 'a back mounted for edgewise movement up and down' with relation to said frame, a pair of levers connected to said back, and a pair of links connecting said levers to said seat, whereby the swinging movement of the late terwill raise and lower said back.

8. .-A folding davenport having/in. combination,v a supportingframe, a. seat hinged at its forward edge, to said frame, a back mounted for movement up and down in said frame a pair of bell-crank levers having theinionger arms pivoted to saidback, and -a pair of long horizontal links connecting thezshorter arms of the bell-cranks to said Seat. i

9. A folding davenport having; in combia supporting frame, a seat hinged therein, a bed forming structure connected tothe seat, a back mounted for movement up and down, means independent of the bedtion of the back to ally connected near its forming structure connecting the lower porthe seat for operation and means for guiding the upper portion of the back in its movements.

10. A folding davenport having, in combination, a support, a seat hinged near its thereby,

forward edge thereto, a collapsible bed forming structure comprising an outer section, a central section connected'to'the Outer section, and a short inner section connected to the central section, a pair of brackets fixed on the seat and pivoted to the central section, another pair-of brackets fixed on the seat and arranged to have the central section rest thereon, supporting legs for the outer section, and means suitably connecting the innerportion of the bed structure to the support.

11. A folding davenport having, in com-as bination, a main support, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto,

outer section, a relatively long central section, a short section pivotally connecting a relatively short the mentioned sections,

legs for the outer inner section, supporting section, a pair of brackets fixed on the seat and pivoted to the central section, another pair of brackets fixed to said seat and arranged to have the central section rest thereon, means adapted to connect the inner portion of the central section to said main support, and means connecting the inner section to said support.

12. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a foldingbedforming a structure comprising a relatively long outer section, a relatively long central section, a short section connecting the men-- tioned sections, and a short inner section pivoted directly to the central section, supporting legs for the ,outer section, brackets fixed to sa1d seat and pivoted to the central to the seat and ,r

bination, a supporting section, other brackets fixed adapted to abut against and support the central section, arms pivoted to the central section, links connecting said arms to said supporting frame, and means connecting the inner section to said supporting frame. 7 13. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a seat pivotforward edge to said frame, a pluralityof foldable bed-forming elements, a pair ofbrackets fixed to said seat and having one of the bed-forming elements pivoted in their free ends, other brackets also fixed to the seat and adapted to have the bed-forming elements abut against their 7 ends for supporting said elements, and links pivotally connecting the .inner portions of said elements to said supporting frame.

14. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a seat hinged long outer section, a relatively long central .mentioned sections,

' porting, frame,

a relatively long frame, tion to the lower end of said back.

edge to said frame, a bedforming structure comprising a relatively a short section connecting the two anda relatively short section pivoted'to the inner end of the central section,'a pair of brackets fixed to the seat and pivoted to the central section, a pair of arms each pivoted at one end to the inner'portion of the central section, a pair of links pivotally connecting said arms to the supporting frame, and means connecting the innermost short section to the supthe outer section being foldable over on top of. the central section and the sections being movable together in this relation into collapsed position beneath the seat, the innermost short section occupying an upright position near the rear of the davenport when collapsed.

15. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a back movably mounted in said frame, a seat hinged to the frame, connections between the seat and the back for raising and lowering the back during the swinging movements of the seat, a foldable bed-forming structure comprising a plurality of sections, arms pivoted to the inner portions of an intermediate one of said sections, two links connecting each of said arms to the supporting frame, and links connecting the inner section to the lower end of the back.

,16. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a back movably connected to the frame, a seat hinged to the frame, connections between the seat and the back for raising and lowering the back during the swigning movements of the seat, a foldable bed-forming structure comprising a plurality of sections, arms pivoted to an intermediate one of said sections, links connecting said arms to said supporting and links connecting the inner seesection,

17 A folding davenport having, in comframe, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto, a back mounted for movement up and down, means at theupp'er portion of the back for guiding the latter, a foldable bed-forming structure comprising two long sections, a short section connecting the latter, and a short sectionat'the inner end of the structure, means pivotally connecting the central long section to the seat, means pivotally connecting the inner portion of the structure to the supporting frame, the inner short section being connected to the back, a pair of bellcranks pivoted to the back, and a pair of links connecting said bell-cranks to the seat. '18. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto, a back mounted for movement up and down in said frame, means for guiding said back, a bed-forming structure comprising a relatively long outer section,a relativelylong central section, a 13c short section connecting the mentioned sections, and a short inner section pivoted to the central section, a pair of brackets fixed on said seatand pivoted to the central section, means for supporting the outer section, means connecting the central section to the supporting frame, a pair of links connecting the inner section to of links connecting said bell-cranks to the seat.

19. A folding davenport having, in coma supporting frame, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto, a foldable bed-forming structure comprising two long sections and a short section connecting the latter, a pair of brackets fixedto said seat and pivoted to one of the long sections, other pair of brackets fixed to the seat and arranged to underlie and support the mentioned long sections, a pair of arms pivoted to the mentioned long sections and having a notch to interlock with the second mentioned pair of brackets, and a pair of links connecting the free ends of said arms to the short section of the bed structure.

20. A folding davenport having, in combination, a main supporting frame, a front board movably mounted thereon, and a seat hinged to said main supporting frame and arranged in its swinging movement to engage the front board to move the latter forwardly into operative position and hold it there. 1

21. A folding davenport having, in combination, a main supporting frame, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto, a front board arranged to close t e space beneath the forward edge of the seat, means pivotally connecting the front board to the supporting frame, and means on the seat arranged in the swinging movement of the seat to move forwardly the front board and hold it in operative position.

22. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a seat hinged near its forward edge thereto, a front board arranged to close the space beneath the for- I ward edge of said seat, two pairs of parallel links connecting opposite ends of said front the back, a pair of I bell-cranks pivoted to the back, and a pair termediate on the seat arranged to engage the rear side of the frontboard and swing the latter up into operative position when the seat is folded.

23. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame, a foldable bedforming sections, arms pivoted to the inner portion of an intermediate one of said section's, two links connecting each of said arms to the supporting frame, and means connecting the inner section to said supporting frame.

24. A folding davenport having, in combination,-a supporting frame, a foldable bedforming structure comprising a plurality of sections, an arm pivoted at one end to an intermediate one of said sections, a link conneoting the other end of said arm to said supporting frame, a' link connecting an inpart of the arm to the supporting frame, and means connecting the inner section to said supporting frame.

25. A folding davenport having, in combination, a supporting frame,

hinged near its forward edge to said frame,

-a back mounted for approximately vertical to counterbalance the weight of the seat, whereby to facilitate operation of the parts.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

MAURICE. TAUBER.

In the presence of I muon- LEVY, GERHARDT TAUBER.

structure comprising a plurality of a seat directly 

